If you were captivated by the dystopian thriller The Platform on Netflix, you’re not alone. This Spanish film about a vertical prison where food is delivered once a day on a descending platform, with those at the top levels gorging themselves while those below starve, struck a nerve. It’s a potent allegory for wealth inequality and human nature pushed to extremes.
After watching The Platform, you may be hungry for more movies that deliver similar doses of suspense, social commentary, and WTF moments. Well, I’ve got you covered. Here are 15 of the best movies like The Platform that will leave your mind reeling:
1. Cube (1997)
Cube is in many ways the OG trapped-in-a-diabolical-structure movie. Released in 1997, this low-budget Canadian sci-fi film follows a group of strangers who wake up in a bizarre cubical structure filled with deadly traps. They have to work together to escape, but tensions and mistrust run high.
Like The Platform, Cube makes the most of its single claustrophobic setting to ratchet up the tension and paranoia. It’s a thrilling psychological game of survival. While the outside world and the reason for their imprisonment is never explained, it’s fun to speculate about what kind of dystopian society would create such a twisted maze.
Where to watch: YouTube, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu, Amazon Prime
2. Snowpiercer (2013)
From visionary Korean director Bong Joon-ho, Snowpiercer is set in a future where a failed climate change experiment has triggered a new ice age. All remaining human survivors live on a perpetually moving train, with a rigid class system in place – the elites in the front and the poor huddled in the back.
A revolution, led by Chris Evans’ character, aims to break through to the front of the train. Like The Platform, it’s a stylized and brutal depiction of class warfare in a vertically-structured society. The fight scenes in the tight train quarters are visceral and intense. Snowpiercer has a stellar cast and stunning visuals that make it a must-watch.
Where to watch: Netflix, YouTube, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu, Amazon Prime
3. Parasite (2019)
Another Bong Joon-ho masterpiece, Parasite became the first non-English language film to win the Oscar for Best Picture in 2020. And it’s easy to see why. This darkly comic thriller about a poor family infiltrating the lives of a wealthy family starts out light but takes some seriously twisted turns.
While not overtly sci-fi like The Platform, Parasite shares similar themes around class divides, economic inequality, and the measures people will take to survive and get ahead in an unfair system. The film has a simmering tension throughout that explodes in the unforgettable climax. If you haven’t seen Parasite yet, what are you waiting for?
Where to watch: Hulu, YouTube, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu, Amazon Prime
4. High-Rise (2015)
Based on J.G. Ballard’s 1975 novel, High-Rise takes place in a luxury tower block in an alternate 1970s London. As power outages and resource scarcity hit the building, the social structure breaks down into class warfare and anarchy.
The depiction of the high-rise as a microcosm for society’s failings is very reminiscent of The Platform. Watching the posh residents on the upper floors indulge in hedonism while those below turn to violence and degradation is chilling. High-Rise amps up the stylized, surreal tone more than The Platform, but the nihilistic vibe is similar.
Where to watch: YouTube, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu, Amazon Prime
5. The Raid (2011)
If you liked the intense close-quarters combat in The Platform, you need to check out the Indonesian action film The Raid. The setup is simple – an elite squad must infiltrate a high-rise building run by a ruthless drug lord and fight their way to the top floor.
The Raid features some of the most spectacular martial arts fight scenes ever put on film as the police battle machete-wielding thugs in grimy hallways and stairwells. Like The Platform, it makes you feel the desperation of the characters trying to survive an impossible situation. The Raid doesn’t have the social allegory, but it’s a non-stop adrenaline rush.
Where to watch: YouTube, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu, Amazon Prime
6. Circle (2015)
Circle has a chilling premise – fifty strangers wake up in a mysterious chamber. Every two minutes, they must vote on who among them will be killed next. It’s a tense psychological experiment that lays bare how prejudice, self-interest and herd mentality can warp people’s humanity.
The single-room setting and ever-dwindling cast has parallels to The Platform. Watching the group argue over who deserves to live or die based on snap judgments is a damning look at human nature. Circle keeps you guessing who, if anyone, will be left standing.
Where to watch: Netflix, YouTube, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu, Amazon Prime
7. The Belko Experiment (2016)
The Belko Experiment traps a group of American corporate employees in their Colombian high-rise office. A mysterious voice announces over the intercom that they must start killing each other or more of them will die. It’s Battle Royale meets Office Space.
Like The Platform, it takes a satirical jab at corporate culture and how quickly social order can break down. Seeing coworkers turn on each other armed with office supplies is darkly comedic and bloody. The Belko Experiment is a wild, gory ride that makes you wonder how you’d react in the same messed-up situation.
Where to watch: YouTube, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu, Amazon Prime
8. Escape Room (2019)
In Escape Room, six strangers are invited to participate in an immersive escape room experience with a $10,000 prize. But the game turns deadly as they discover each room is a sadistic trap they must solve to survive.
While the characters in The Platform are trapped in a prison of sorts, Escape Room turns the popular team-building activity into a literal death trap. It’s fun to watch the characters use their wits to overcome each challenge, but the stakes keep rising. Escape Room delivers effective jump scares and psychological twists.
Where to watch: Starz, YouTube, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu, Amazon Prime
9. Exam (2009)
Exam is a taut British psychological thriller about eight candidates vying for a mysterious corporate job. Locked in a room for an 80-minute exam, they’re given a blank piece of paper and instructed not to spoil their papers or talk to the guard or they’ll be disqualified.
As they try to figure out the question, the power dynamics shift between them. Like The Platform, Exam wrings a lot of tension out of putting disparate personalities in a pressure-cooker environment. It’s more of a slow-burn mindf**k than a gory spectacle, but the twisty plot keeps you engaged.
Where to watch: YouTube, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu, Amazon Prime
10. The Mist (2007)
Based on a Stephen King novella, The Mist traps a group of people in a supermarket when a dense mist containing Lovecraftian monsters envelops the town. As fear takes hold, the social dynamics splinter between those listening to reason and those swayed by a doomsday preacher.
Like The Platform, The Mist shows how quickly people can turn on each other in a crisis. The real threat isn’t just the monsters outside, but the monsters people can become under pressure. The ending is a true gut-punch that still sparks debate.
Where to watch: Netflix, YouTube, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu, Amazon Prime
11. Fermat’s Room (2007)
This Spanish thriller, also known as La Habitación de Fermat, gathers four mathematicians in a shrinking room and challenges them to solve puzzles in order to survive. As the room closes in, they must also figure out what connects them and who’s behind their deadly test.
Fermat’s Room has a similar single-location setup as The Platform and a ticking-clock tension as the walls literally close in. It’s more of a cerebral mystery than a gory horror, but math geeks will enjoy the puzzles and references. The ending cleverly brings the threads together.
Where to watch: YouTube, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu, Amazon Prime
12. The Divide (2011)
The Divide throws a group of survivors into a bunker after a nuclear attack on New York City. With supplies dwindling and no knowledge of what’s happened outside, the group descends into paranoia and violence.
Like The Platform, it’s a bleak look at how thin the veneer of civility can be when people are pushed to the brink. There are scenes of brutality that are hard to watch, but it fits the nihilistic tone. The Divide is not a fun watch, but it’s a thought-provoking post-apocalyptic tale.
Where to watch: Vudu, Amazon Prime, Tubi, Plex
13. Coherence (2013)
On the night of a comet passing near Earth, a dinner party descends into mind-bending chaos as reality starts to fracture. Coherence uses the setup of an intimate gathering of friends to explore parallel realities and the consequences of the choices we make.
While lower on gore than The Platform, Coherence shares the sense of disorientation and shifting group dynamics as the characters grapple with their strange situation. It’s a smart, twisty sci-fi thriller that rewards close attention. The less you know going in, the better.
Where to watch: YouTube, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu, Amazon Prime
14. The Cube (1969)
Not to be confused with the 1997 film of the same name, this experimental TV movie written and directed by Jim Henson depicts a man trapped in a white cube. Various characters enter and exit the cube, challenging the man’s sense of reality and identity.
The Cube is more of an absurdist, existential piece than a conventional thriller like The Platform. But both use their minimalist enclosed settings as a stage to explore the human condition. Henson’s film has a ’60s psychedelic vibe but raises intriguing questions about conformity and individuality.
Where to watch: YouTube
15. Us (2019)
Jordan Peele’s sophomore horror film Us follows a family terrorized by murderous doppelgangers while on vacation. As the film unfolds, it’s revealed that the doppelgangers are clones, created by the government, who live underground and have orchestrated an uprising against their above-ground counterparts.
Like The Platform, Us works as a home-invasion thriller and a larger allegory for societal oppression and class divisions. The reveal of the Tethered creates a disturbing symmetry, making us question which group is more human. Lupita Nyong’o’s dual performance is a tour-de-force.
Where to watch: YouTube, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu, Amazon Prime
So there you have it – 15 mind-bending movies to watch if you loved The Platform. From sci-fi thrillers to gory horror to experimental oddities, these films all use confined spaces to explore the dark corners of human nature. They’ll make you think, make you squirm, and maybe even make you sleep with the lights on.
Have you seen any of these movies? What other films would you recommend to fans of The Platform? Let me know in the comments below. Happy watching!
